• FINAL STATS   |   • VIDEO: Alex  Mejia

SEATTLE – Sophomore Titus Grant netted a goal in each half Thursday for Seattle Pacific, which reeled off four unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 men's soccer victory at Interbay Stadium in its final non-conference game.
 
After conceding a 10th-minute goal to the visitors, Grant evened the score five minutes later on a penalty kick. Alex Mejia gave SPU a 2-1 edge with a header off a corner kick with less than three minutes left in the first half.
 
Alden Massey punched in the Falcons third tally in the 72nd minute and Grant capped the scoring with 15 minutes remaining, notching his team-leading sixth goal.
 
The Falcons (6-5-0) registered their third consecutive victory and have forged a winning record for the first time this year. They started the season with three losses, but won their last four non-league contests to finish with a 4-3-0 record outside of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
"I'm just really happy that we're playing better and getting results for it," SPU coach Mark Collings said. "We're over .500 now, which is a big deal for us considering how we started."


 
Alberto Asencio opened the scoring 9:44 into the game with an unassisted tally for the Marauders (3-6-1). A cross from the right flank was deflected by a Falcons defender and fell to his feet. Asencio deposited a 16-yard shot from the center of the box into the right side for his third goal of the year.
 
"We started a little slow. Maybe just some changes in the lineup could be the cause of that," said Collings who used a trio of first-time starters. Three other Falcons opened a game for just the second time this season.
 
"Certainly Mary came out and played really well to begin with, so a lot of credit goes to them. In some ways the early goal settled us in a little bit. We were kind of flat to begin with, so the goal in some ways got us going a little bit and maybe kicked us into a higher gear."
 
A run toward goal by Sam Rucklos set up the equalizer for SPU. He was fouled in the box by Steven Hutzenbiler, earning the Falcons a penalty kick. Grant calmly converted the free shot from the 12-yard spot at 14:31.
 
SPU capitalized on a corner kick for the go-ahead score. Trevor Lee served a cross from the left corner that carried into the crowded 6-yard box. Mejia rose to get a light head on the ball and flick it into the goal at 42:29 for his second score of the season.
 
That 2-1 margin carried into halftime for the hosts, who outshot Mary 10-5 in the opening 45 minutes.

 

Massey tacked on a third goal, his fifth of the season, on a long dribbling run. He picked up the ball near midfield and maneuvered through the defense before unleashing a 17-yard blast that rippled the right inside netting at 71:22.
 
Grant completed his brace at 75:34 off a pass from Mario Vukic. His 16-yard strike found the upper right corner.
 
The speedy forward has tallied four goals in the last three games.
 
"When Titus gets going he's pretty tough to deal with," Collings exclaimed. "He's been in a nice little streak here. Some of the opportunities he was getting early in the year he's now finishing which helps us.
 
"He stretches the field. His pace is something that teams have to think about and deal with and that opens things up for a lot of other guys. Having Titus healthy and going and scoring goals is a huge help for us."
 
Red-shirt freshman goalkeeper Lars Helleren was credited with seven saves for the Falcons, who were on the positive side of a 23-11 shot count.
 
Lukas Billhardt stopped six shots for the Marauders.
 
The SPU men remain home to host top-ranked Simon Fraser on Saturday. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
 
Simon Fraser (10-0-0), the two-time defending GNAC champion, is undefeated and leads the league with a 4-0-0 record. SPU is 2-2-0 in conference play.
 
"Saturday we're playing the top team in the country and, more importantly for us, the top team in the GNAC. We've got to come out and match their ability and match their intensity and see what we can do," Collings said.
 
"It will be a big challenge. Our efforts were put into tonight, so now we'll regroup tomorrow and see if we can get it going Saturday night against a really, really good team."
 
In 2013 Simon Fraser visited Seattle as the nation's No. 1 ranked NCAA Division II team and left with a 2-1 loss to the Falcons.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 4, UMary 1
 
Scoring – 1, MARY, Alberto Asencio (unassisted), 9:44; 2, SPU, Titus Grant (PK), 14:31; 3, SPU, Alex Mejia (Trevor Lee), 42:29; 4, SPU, Alden Massey (unassisted), 71:22, 5, SPU, Grant (Mario Vukic), 75:34.
 
                          1   2  --  TOTAL
UMary                     1   0  --    1
Seattle Pacific           2   2  --    4
 
Shots – MARY 11, SPU 23.
Shots on Goal – MARY 8, SPU 11.
Saves – MARY 7 (Lukas Billhardt 6, Team a), SPU 7 (Lars Helleren).
Corner kicks – MARY 2, SPU 5.
Fouls – MARY 13, SPU 13.
Offsides – MARY 1, SPU 1.
 
Records
UMary 3-6-1
Seattle Pacific 6-5-0
 
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
(#1) Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Oct. 6, 7:00 p.m. PDT
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.